Political developments Flashcards
(30 cards)
1950 election results
LAB - 315 seats, 13.2 million votes
CON - 298 seats, 12.5 million votes
What happened after the 1950 election?
King demanded another election because he feared the government would collapse
1951 election results
LAB - 295 seats
CON - 321 seats
Why did the Conservatives win the 1951 election?
Taxes on the middle class (highest 80%)
Bread rationed from 1946 and potatoes from 1947 - housewives revolt in 1946
Austerity - bananas imported, reserved for under 18s
NHS divisions - Bevanites vs Gaitskellites
LAB seen as very old - Attlee led LAB since 1935
Conservative strengths in 1951
Younger politicians like Eden, Macmillan and Butler were popular with the electorate
Rejuvenated party organisation and decided no MP should pay more than £25 to run (Margaret Roberts)
Accepted most of Labour’s reforms
What did the Conservatives promise in 1951?
Keep NHS
Build 300,000 new homes
Test atomic bomb
1950 industrial charter - promised to keep nationalisation in un-profitable industries
When did the Tories test the atomic bomb?
1952
What did the Tories do in 1951?
Re-privatised steel and road transport
What happened in 1953?
Churchill had a stroke - hidden from the public
Who ran the government after Churchill’s stroke?
Eden, Butler and Macmillan
What ended in 1954?
Rationing
What happened in 1955?
Churchill retired and Eden called an election
1955 election results
CON - 344 seats
Majority of 70
What happened in 1956?
Suez crisis
What was the 1956 Suez crisis?
Egypt seized control and nationalised the canal
Britain launched military action over it, the USA had to pressure the British to withdraw. Humiliating and Eden looked weak
What happened in January 1957?
Eden resigned after he lied to the commons
Who took over from Eden?
Macmillan
How did Macmillan restore faith?
Gave the ‘Never Had It So Good’ speech in Jan 1957
Nicknamed SuperMac
What was formed in 1958?
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND)
What were the consequences of the CND?
Many LAB left-wing MPs joined in with CND demonstrations, turned some voters away
Who won the 1959 election?
Conservatives - Macmillan
What did Gaitskell do in 1959?
Threatened to abolish Clause IV at the Blackpool conference
What happened in 1960?
Scarborough conference
What happened at the Scarborough conference?
Gaitskell was defeated over nuclear disarmament
